This weekend in the Premier League, Victor Moses impressed as Chelsea made it seven wins in a row, Manchester United drew again and Arsenal overcame a resilient Bournemouth at the Emirates. In our weekly roundtable, FanSided’s soccer staff share their reactions.
Moses an unlikely hero for Conte’s Chelsea
Peter Johnstone, @9PniJ2
If somebody said to you in August that Chelsea were going to challenge for the title, it probably wouldn’t have fazed you. If somebody said to you Victor Moses would be a driving force in Chelsea’s title charge, you probably would’ve questioned their logic.
The Nigerian midfielder is a talented player, but after fairly unremarkable loan spells at Liverpool and West Ham, it was reasonable to wonder whether he had a future at Chelsea. Antonio Conte, however, has given Moses a new lease of life.
The versatile player has slotted into Conte’s system as a wingback, although it’s his attacking nature that has grabbed everyone’s attention. There are similarities between Moses’ role for Chelsea and the role Michail Antonio has been playing for Slaven Bilic’s West Ham side. Both men cover a huge amount of ground and have become key attacking cogs for their respective teams.
Moses demonstrated this once again against Tottenham in the late kickoff on Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were in total control after an early Christian Eriksen strike, and the Argentine manager will rue his side’s inability to grab a second.
Pedro gave the Blues some fire for the second half with a brilliant equalizer seconds before the whistle sounded to draw a close to the first. This gave Conte’s men the starting point they needed to eventually go on and win the match through a Moses strike.
Moses’ £9 million price tag may have seemed a bit much when Chelsea signed him from Wigan, but it’s beginning to look like a steal now. Conte is due a lot of credit for his selection of Moses. It would have been easy for the Italian to select one of the more established names in his squad, but if you were to ask a Chelsea fan their preferred starting XI now, I’m pretty sure Moses would be one of the first few names mentioned.
Moses’ form also owes much to the formational change that has seen Chelsea move to the top of the table. After their 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal last month, it seemed Chelsea didn’t have enough to be considered title contenders. Since that loss, and Conte’s switch to a back three, they’ve won seven straight, conceding only a single goal.
It’s clear Chelsea’s players are enjoying themselves more than they have at least since the title-winning campaign in 2014-15. The victory against Spurs epitomized this. They were 1-0 down and second best in a match they could quite easily have lost, but the Chelsea players never let their heads drop.
Belief can play such an important part in soccer matches and title races — Leicester’s title victory last year is evidence of that. It’s clear these Chelsea players have that belief and that they feel like they can win any match no matter what the scoreline is.
Moses is perhaps the best example of that: A player many considered a flop at the start of the season, who, after a string of impressive displays, has now been linked with a move to Barcelona.
Manchester United stumble again against West Ham
Rory Masterson, @rorymasterson
All you needed to know about Manchester United’s draw with West Ham Sunday you could’ve seen in approximately the first half hour of play. From a sleepy Zlatan Ibrahimovic defensive error that led to Diafra Sakho’s opening header, to a magnificent redemption shot Ibrahimovic knocked in not 20 minutes later, to, naturally, Jose Mourinho seeing himself sent off after arguing with the fourth official on the touch line, this game packed an absurd amount of action into its first third. It also acted as a reflection of United’s season as a whole, an indicator of the space between what the Red Devils can achieve versus what they usually manage.
Very early on, West Ham found themselves in a favorable position with a free-kick, which Dimitri Payet expertly directed into the box. Sakho’s goal, his first of the season, came in only his second appearance of the season. Sakho snuck under a faded shadow in Ibrahimovic and headed the ball powerfully past David de Gea, leaving many United players and supporters wondering what had gone wrong. It’s a familiar feeling for both, it must be said.
Following the opener, United tightened up at the back, though it shouldn’t have taken an opposing salvo to put those pieces together. For his part, Ibrahimovic found recompense quickly, courtesy of Paul Pogba. Given ample time and space, the French midfielder placed a perfect ball over the top to his Swedish counterpart, who nodded the equalizer past Darren Randolph into impossibly limited space on the near post. It was the culmination of a 22-pass run, the second-longest leading to a goal in the Premier League this season and the prettiest bit of control the Red Devils would manage on the day.
With United, of course, this season has been a story of Mr. Hyde accompanying Dr. Jekyll at every turn. It began in pregame, when Mourinho made Bastian Schweinsteiger available off the bench for the first time this season. For the second time in three league games, Mourinho was sent off, referee Jon Moss having had more than enough of Chairman Mou’s color commentary.
Remarkably, it happened on a play which seemed relatively straightforward, even if maddening for the United skipper: In the midst of an otherwise sparkling performance, the highlight of which was his spectacular assist to Ibrahimovic, Pogba blatantly dove, drawing a yellow card and inspiring Mourinho’s sideline performance. Banished to the stands, Mourinho was not seen again, even to pass menacing notes to his assistants.
Even as United seemed to control the tempo for the remainder of the first half, a breakthrough was not in store, with each successful string of passes undone by an untimely foul or clumsy through ball, with few runs actually getting into threatening positions.
After halftime, West Ham turned up the effort, finally putting some pressure on the ball and making smart, if relatively average, passes leading to decent chances. Sakho nearly had another, topping de Gea’s net off a Payet corner. Ashley Fletcher, the Hammers’ summer acquisition from United, provided some spark off the bench as well, weaving through the Devils’ defense and nearly scoring himself.
The Wayne Rooney Carousel continues, as he replaced an underwhelming Marcus Rashford one goal shy of Bobby Charlton’s United club record, yet his only shot sputtered easily into Randolph’s hands. Much more impressive was Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who ricocheted a shot off the post after replacing Juan Mata. Fresh off a Man of the Match performance against Feyenoord earlier in the week, the Armenian charged around the field, gaining favorable positions and trying to provide for his teammates.
Though each side had its chances, even through extra time, a draw seemed inevitable, a delight for West Ham as much as it was a disappointment for United. With over a third of the season gone, the Red Devils sit sixth in the table, a clear cut below the top five, and with no one but themselves to blame. As the season wears on, United’s patience with Mourinho may grow as thin as his has for referees. The pairing, once a dream for fans and the man in charge alike, appears increasingly to be just that. But a dream only a loud, unwelcome alarm can disrupt.
Xhaka deserves patience despite slow start
James Dudko, @JamesDudko
Arsenal made hard work of their first Premier League win in November. The Gunners had to be patient for long periods during a 3-1 triumph over a plucky Bournemouth side. In fact, they didn’t make sure of the points until Alexis Sanchez scored his second in second-half stoppage time. Hard work and patience have their rewards.
It’s a lesson Arsenal will learn with Granit Xhaka.
The club’s big-money summer import has been slow to adapt, starting only sporadically in all competitions so far this season. At times the process has been so slow it’s been easy to wonder exactly why manager Arsene Wenger spent £34 million on the former Borussia Monchengladbach man.
Yet if you look closely, very closely, there are signs of what Wenger sees in the Switzerland international.
Xhaka’s best attribute is his quality on the ball. He’s got a left foot sweeter than sugared apricot, along with a natural knack for playing between the lines. The latter is something Wenger lauded after the win over the Cherries, per James Benge of the London Evening Standard: “I think his passing through the lines has played a big part today. Alexis Sanchez and the strikers like to play with guys who play well through the lines; I think the strikers appreciate him.”
Sanchez liking the way Xhaka rolls is significant in pinpointing the midfielder’s value to Arsenal. The Gunners are less reliant on bossing possession this season, often preferring instead to cede the ball and strike instantly on the break. It’s a formula that not only requires pace up front (see: Sanchez and Theo Walcott), but also accurate passes from deep. Enter Xhaka.
Few players in the Arsenal squad can split the lines from deep as effectively as he can. Wenger has already been treated to a tantalizing glimpse of this talent earlier in the season.
It came when Xhaka bossed midfield in a 3-1 win away to Watford back in August. He launched precise balls all over the Vicarage Road pitch, picking out more than one speedy runner with confident sweeps of his left boot.
At the time, Xhaka rightly earned rave reviews. He also drew comparisons with another left-footed and deep-lying Arsenal midfielder from yesteryear of the Wenger era, one Emmanuel Petit. However, this comparison was slightly wide of the mark.
Xhaka’s no Petit. But he could be Arsenal’s version of Xabi Alonso.
Wenger targeted Alonso when he was at Liverpool in 2008. It made sense considering the Spaniard embodied the vision and technical acumen Wenger prizes above all else in midfield players.
Like Xhaka, Alonso was described as a defensive midfielder, and like Xhaka, the label never quite fit. He was always less a destroyer and more a playmaker from deep. Conveniently, that’s just what the Gunners need now. Fortunately, it’s also just what Xhaka can become.
Frankly, it was a surprise Xhaka played so infrequently after his display at Watford. But Wenger can’t overlook him again after what he showed against Bournemouth. Namely, a comfort and forward-thinking instinct in possession Arsenal have lacked while Santi Cazorla remains injured.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about how the Gunners can cope without Cazorla’s quick decision-making and ingenuity. Well, Xhaka looks like he could be nearly as accomplished.
His calm and stylish distribution against Bournemouth helped Arsenal regain control of the match after halftime. In the end, the home side finished with a shade more possession than the visitors, no small feat since Bournemouth gave Arsenal a passing lesson in the first half. Xhaka was the main reason the Gunners reasserted themselves.
Wenger has been taking his time integrating Arsenal’s third most expensive signing into life at the club. His patience is letting Xhaka develop steadily. But now it’s time for Wenger to let Xhaka seize the key role as the midfield conductor he was bought to be.